Green Container Ships

The Maersk Triple-E class of ultra-large container ships are all about energy efficiency, economies of scale and environmental improvements.

Published by

Jun 12. 2017

In 2011, Maersk Line secured an order to build 20 container ships bigger than anything currently at sea. The company’s solution, the Triple-E (the “E” is for energy efficiency, economies of scale and environmental improvements), established a new class of container ship. At the time of the first delivery in 2013, the capacity of the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller was 16% greater than the largest ship built previously.

We are very satisfied with the design and technical innovation, and the benefits the Triple-E brings to our customers and us through cost savings and more competitive service offerings

Søren SkouGroup CEO, A.P. Møller Mærsk A/S

The ships are fitted with the latest energy-saving and pollution-control technologies. For instance, the ships’ hulls are optimised for lower speeds in an efficiency approach dubbed ‘slow steaming’, which lowers fuel consumption by 37% according to the company. Energy-efficient engines are supplemented by a waste-heat recovery system. The Triple-E class is also equipped with an energy efficient ballast water treatment system. A cradle-to-cradle design approach ensures that when a ship reaches retirement its components can be safely disassembled and recycled.

Why you should care

Commercial shipping is a large contributor of air pollution accounting for around 3% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions worldwide – as much as Japan, the world’s 5th-highest emitting country. Larger ships which are optimised for lower speeds can dramatically improve fuel efficiency per container. Whilst shipping by sea is significantly less polluting than by air, increasing global trade will continue to drive up CO2 emissions overall. The Triple-E is a first step to making global shipping more efficient.

HOW THE GLOBAL GOALS ARE ADDRESSED

Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Shipping more containers per vessel creates economies of scale for transborder infrastructure, cutting fuel and costs.

Responsible consumption and production

The cradle-to-cradle design approach of the Triple-E will help to ensure that the significant material resources used to construct the ships are reused when they are ultimately disassembled.

Climate action

Triple-E ships are designed to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 50% per container, compared to the industry average, according to the company.

GLOBAL GOALS ADDRESSED

Shipping more containers per vessel creates economies of scale for transborder infrastructure, cutting fuel and costs.

The cradle-to-cradle design approach of the Triple-E will help to ensure that the significant material resources used to construct the ships are reused when they are ultimately disassembled.

Triple-E ships are designed to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 50% per container, compared to the industry average, according to the company.